3-Speed Coaster Brake Shootout
So you're thinking of a 3-speed conversion for your cruiser... What options do you have and what hub is best for you?
Sure, there's no beating your single-speed coaster for reliability but sometimes the extra range of a 3-speed makes all the difference. You've though about converting your bike but what's involved and how much is it going to cost? This article will show you some of the options out there and talk about the differences between the popularly available 3-speed coaster hubs.
There are really two main choices when it comes to 3-speed coaster hubs, Shimano and Sturmey Archer. SRAM also makes 3-speed coasters but they aren't too common and therefore can be a bit hard to find so we're going to focus on the Shimano and Sturmey Archer models.
There are two ways you can go about this - either get a new set of wheels with a 3-speed hub already installed or rebuild your current rear wheel with a new hub. If you aren't happy with your rims as they are - ie if they're just plain alloy then you might as well use this opportunity to get something new. Most bike shops can sell you a wheel set with a 3-speed already installed, I know Ride Away has quite a few in stock. You can expect to pay about $150 to $200 for a new set of rims with a 3-speed.
If you decide you just want to modify your existing wheels then things get a little cheaper. You will usually pay between $50 and $100 for a 3-speed hub depending on which model you choose - the Sturmey Archer AWC is probably the cheapest while the SRC3 and the Shimano Inter-3 will set you back a bit more. Expect to pay about $40 to get your wheel rebuilt, chances are you're going to need new spokes plus there's a fair amount of labour involved in a hub swap. If you can build a wheel yourself then you can save a little bit here but I'd rather just pay the money and let someone else do it.
Sturmey went bankrupt in 2000 and was purchased by Sun Race, a Taiwaneese company with a long history in the bike business. Sun Race moved the entire Sturmey Archer factory, machinery and all to their Taiwan plant and even brought along the supervisors from the old Sturmey plant to help set up and get things running. Sun Race knows quite a bit about the bike market and has renewed the whole Sturmey product line even going so far as to introduce new hubs based on the old Sturmey designs with improvements by the Sun Race design team.
The AWC uses a 3-segment brake shoe design and a cast brake ring pressed in to the hub shell on the left hand side of the hub. There are 3 steel brake shoe segments which are engaged through the gears in a safe design that always engages the same way regardless of which gear the bike is in, eliminating the issues of the TCW while providing a better brake than the S3C. I was quite happy with the brake performance on my 'Old' Sturmey AWC and most riders of the 'New' Sturmey AWC seem to be happy too. If you ever do any service on these hubs it is CRITICAL to use the correct grease - you want a grey moly-lithium grease on the coaster brake, a regular wheel bearing grease on the ball bearings and white lithium grease on the actual gears and pawls themselves! Apart from ensuring correct gear adjustment the only thing to worry about with an AWC is playing it safe with the brake - repeated hard skids can dislodge the cast brake ring from the hub shell destroying the hub. This type of failure usually shows itself starting with slipping in low gear followed by eventual loss of all braking abilities - if you manage to do this to your hub you have no choice but to throw it out and look for something more suited to your riding style such as the Shimano Nexus Inter-3 below.
I have been running an SRC3 on my Manhattan for quite some time now. I have also run an AWC on the same bike so I can give a pretty good comparison between the two. I would say that the improved looks and quieter mechanism of the SRC3 is definitely worth something however I haven't been particularly happy with the brake on this hub. It is VERY difficult to lock up the rear wheel and quick stops don't seem to be much of an option. This MAY be an issue with my particular hub2 as I know others with SRC3's seem to be pretty happy however I have heard from local bike shops that the SRC3 won't stand up to rough service very well. This hub rates highly in the looks department and is definitely a little different from your 'run of the mill' 3-speed but brake issues definitely warrant some careful thought before selecting this hub. However some manufacturers such as Felt use these hubs on their bikes, albeit often with a front drum brake.
One thing to mention about the Sturmey Archer hubs is the large variety of shifter mechanisms available. Due to the long time popularity of the Sturmey design in British and North American bikes there are literally hundreds of shifter options available. I personally am a fan of the old-school trigger shifter although grip shifts are available for those who want them.
With its billet aluminum housing and minimalist indicator chain the Sturmey SRC3 definitely wins in the looks department. Add near-silent operation and you've got an excellent stealthy 3-speed provided you keep your stopping limitations in mind. If you want old-school looks there are quite a few shifter options available for the Sturmey hubs that won't work on the Shimano versions making the Sturmey hubs the best choice for people who are primarily concerned about how their setup will look and are willing to keep the design's limitations in mind.
If the visual aspect of your hub isn't such a concern and you're a bit harder on your bike then you can't beat the Shimano Nexus Inter-3. Great reliability, very good braking performance and its overall popularity on stock bikes make this hub a safe choice. There are fewer shifter options available but if you're happy with grip-shift then this won't be a problem for you.
Whichever hub you choose, be aware that any 3-speed hub won't be able to take as much abuse as a single-speed coaster. There is a LOT more stuffed in to a tiny space with a 3-speed - brakes work better the larger they are so there is some tradeoff in braking ability when moving to a 3-speed. That said hub manufacturers have done a lot of work to try and deal with these issues. As long as you are aware of the limits of your setup be it single speed, 3 speed or otherwise you can make anything work so get out there and ride!
1. There were a FEW AWC hubs produced in 1988 that are oil-filled instead of greased however I've never actually seen one. 1988 was the first year for the AWC and in 1989 it was converted to a greased hub.
2. After riding more on my SRC3 and doing a few good 'burn in' stops on hills the braking is improved somewhat over its 'out of the box' state but it is still weaker than other hubs I've tried.
Conversions
So just how do you convert your bike to a 3-speed anyhow?There are two ways you can go about this - either get a new set of wheels with a 3-speed hub already installed or rebuild your current rear wheel with a new hub. If you aren't happy with your rims as they are - ie if they're just plain alloy then you might as well use this opportunity to get something new. Most bike shops can sell you a wheel set with a 3-speed already installed, I know Ride Away has quite a few in stock. You can expect to pay about $150 to $200 for a new set of rims with a 3-speed.
If you decide you just want to modify your existing wheels then things get a little cheaper. You will usually pay between $50 and $100 for a 3-speed hub depending on which model you choose - the Sturmey Archer AWC is probably the cheapest while the SRC3 and the Shimano Inter-3 will set you back a bit more. Expect to pay about $40 to get your wheel rebuilt, chances are you're going to need new spokes plus there's a fair amount of labour involved in a hub swap. If you can build a wheel yourself then you can save a little bit here but I'd rather just pay the money and let someone else do it.
Sturmey Archer
Today's Sturmey Archer is not the same Sturmey Archer as we used to know prior to 2000. The 'old' Sturmey Archer was located in England and has history back to 1902 with a patent on the first 3-speed bicycle hub. Nearly any 3-speed bike from 1902 on through the '70s found in North America had a Sturmey hub - a lot of other manufacturer's hubs such as JC Higgins were actually Sturmey internals so the design is quite popular. However Sturmey Archer saw a decline in quality throughout the 1980s and '90s as demand for internal gear hubs plummeted during the mountain bike craze. In fact until cruisers started taking off internal gear hubs were all but gone except in a few specialized markets such as folding bikes.Sturmey went bankrupt in 2000 and was purchased by Sun Race, a Taiwaneese company with a long history in the bike business. Sun Race moved the entire Sturmey Archer factory, machinery and all to their Taiwan plant and even brought along the supervisors from the old Sturmey plant to help set up and get things running. Sun Race knows quite a bit about the bike market and has renewed the whole Sturmey product line even going so far as to introduce new hubs based on the old Sturmey designs with improvements by the Sun Race design team.
Sturmey Archer TCW
There were 3 different 3-speed coaster models under 'Old' Sturmey, the TCW, S3C and AWC. The TCW was a total design failure - the coaster brake was attached through the internal gears on the hub in such a manner that the gears essentially worked against the brake - if you were in high gear it was very difficult to stop. Sturmey archer hubs also have a 'dead' spot between 2nd and 3rd gear where no gear is engaged - if properly adjusted you never notice this but if your shifter cable was out of adjustment you could end up in this dead spot and have no brakes at all! Due to these issues the TCW received a very bad reputation and was discontinued by Sturmey Archer to be replaced with the S3C.Sturmey Archer S3C
The S3C is fairly common on older bikes, especially the '70s Schwinn Krate bikes. It is a reasonably good hub - the internals are fairly well built but it still has its issues. These can be found on eBay somewhat inexpensively - parts are still available for thse hubs through the usual sources (Harris) but some parts such as the coaster brake are somewhat scarce. Like all pre-'90s Sturmey Archer hubs the S3C is an 'oil filled' hub which means it needs to be periodically topped up with oil through the small cap on the hub shell itself - failure to do so will result in sticky shifts or a hub that just plain won't engage. On the upside though these hubs last a long time without needing a teardown since regular addition of fresh oil tends to clear out any junk that collects in the hub. The coaster brake in the S3C is a fairly traditional design - essentially just a 'smaller' version of the normal coaster brake design found in single-speed coaster hubs. Major downside to this hub is that the coaster is so small - not good for large, heavy bikes since it doesn't have the stopping power of most of the other hubs in this review with the obvious exception of the TCW. Neither of these hubs have been manufactured for quite some time however so you're unlikely to be using one on a conversion project unless you are going for a restoration project or are trying to keep things original.Sturmey Archer AWC
There are two different AWC hubs, the 'Old' Sturmey AWC and the 'New' Sturmey AWC. The difference is readily apparent - the 'Old' Sturmey hubs all say 'Made In England' on the hub shell and are usually chrome plated. The 'New' AWC is generally raw metal and naturally doesn't say anything about England. Regardless if the hub is a 'New' or 'Old' AWC it will be grease-filled rather than oil filled1. This means it doesn't require periodic top-ups like the older hubs.The AWC uses a 3-segment brake shoe design and a cast brake ring pressed in to the hub shell on the left hand side of the hub. There are 3 steel brake shoe segments which are engaged through the gears in a safe design that always engages the same way regardless of which gear the bike is in, eliminating the issues of the TCW while providing a better brake than the S3C. I was quite happy with the brake performance on my 'Old' Sturmey AWC and most riders of the 'New' Sturmey AWC seem to be happy too. If you ever do any service on these hubs it is CRITICAL to use the correct grease - you want a grey moly-lithium grease on the coaster brake, a regular wheel bearing grease on the ball bearings and white lithium grease on the actual gears and pawls themselves! Apart from ensuring correct gear adjustment the only thing to worry about with an AWC is playing it safe with the brake - repeated hard skids can dislodge the cast brake ring from the hub shell destroying the hub. This type of failure usually shows itself starting with slipping in low gear followed by eventual loss of all braking abilities - if you manage to do this to your hub you have no choice but to throw it out and look for something more suited to your riding style such as the Shimano Nexus Inter-3 below.
Sturmey Archer SRC3
The SRC3 (or S30 as it is sometimes referred to) is an updated version of the AWC and is the first significant change Sun Race has made to the Sturmey 3-speed product line. It has a billet aluminum shell which looks MUCH nicer than the plain steel shell of the 'New' AWC making it a good match for the alloy front hubs most of us have. One improvement of the SRC3 over the AWC is that this hub is dead quiet! You can barely hear these hubs in operation while the older models all have a noticeable clicking sound.I have been running an SRC3 on my Manhattan for quite some time now. I have also run an AWC on the same bike so I can give a pretty good comparison between the two. I would say that the improved looks and quieter mechanism of the SRC3 is definitely worth something however I haven't been particularly happy with the brake on this hub. It is VERY difficult to lock up the rear wheel and quick stops don't seem to be much of an option. This MAY be an issue with my particular hub2 as I know others with SRC3's seem to be pretty happy however I have heard from local bike shops that the SRC3 won't stand up to rough service very well. This hub rates highly in the looks department and is definitely a little different from your 'run of the mill' 3-speed but brake issues definitely warrant some careful thought before selecting this hub. However some manufacturers such as Felt use these hubs on their bikes, albeit often with a front drum brake.
One thing to mention about the Sturmey Archer hubs is the large variety of shifter mechanisms available. Due to the long time popularity of the Sturmey design in British and North American bikes there are literally hundreds of shifter options available. I personally am a fan of the old-school trigger shifter although grip shifts are available for those who want them.
Shimano
Shimano is very well known in the bike industry - regardless what make or model your bike is chances are you have at least some Shimano components if it's been made in the last 30 years or so. Shimano has been in business since about 1931 bringing Japanese engineering to the bike industry. As they supply the bulk of bike components for road, mountain and cruiser bikes you know you can order their parts through nearly any bike shop without too much hassle.Nexus Inter-3
If you have a factory 3-speed Electra you most likely have a Nexus Inter-3. These hubs are very well made and seem to be able to stand quite a bit of abuse - I have personally seen riders doing things with these hubs that I know would break a lot of single speed hubs let alone a 3-speed. Shimano has a different brake design from most of the other hubs on here which is much more compact - the Inter-3 isn't much bigger than your everyday single speed hub! The downside to this design is there is a lot less material to soak up heat so cooling it down after a long hill will take a bit longer.
The Inter-3 is a noisy hub - under normal pedaling it is easily as loud as your average freewheel hub coasting. When coasting it's REALLY loud so you aren't going to be sneaking up behind anyone. I'm also not a huge fan of the bulky indicator hanging off the right axle - it works ok visually on newer bikes but it will definitely clash with an older-style cruiser. It does allow for easy gear adjustments however.
Brake performance on these hubs is actually quite good. It doesn't take much to lock up the rear wheel on demand and even the most aggressive riders don't seem to be able to break this brake! If you're hard on your bike and don't care too much about visual appeal than this hub is for you - it will withstand much more abuse than any other 3-speed I've tested. That's not to say you can't break it if you really try but you'll stand a better chance of having a working hub at the end of a skid contest than members of the Sturmey family.
One disadvantage to the Shimano design is it uses a different amount of cable travel between gears from the Sturmey design. This means you can only use Shimano shifters with Shimano hubs. Essentially the only readily available shifter is grip-shift, something I am not personally a fan of as I don't like my bike accidently shifting while I'm trying to haul up a hill!
The Inter-3 is a noisy hub - under normal pedaling it is easily as loud as your average freewheel hub coasting. When coasting it's REALLY loud so you aren't going to be sneaking up behind anyone. I'm also not a huge fan of the bulky indicator hanging off the right axle - it works ok visually on newer bikes but it will definitely clash with an older-style cruiser. It does allow for easy gear adjustments however.
Brake performance on these hubs is actually quite good. It doesn't take much to lock up the rear wheel on demand and even the most aggressive riders don't seem to be able to break this brake! If you're hard on your bike and don't care too much about visual appeal than this hub is for you - it will withstand much more abuse than any other 3-speed I've tested. That's not to say you can't break it if you really try but you'll stand a better chance of having a working hub at the end of a skid contest than members of the Sturmey family.
One disadvantage to the Shimano design is it uses a different amount of cable travel between gears from the Sturmey design. This means you can only use Shimano shifters with Shimano hubs. Essentially the only readily available shifter is grip-shift, something I am not personally a fan of as I don't like my bike accidently shifting while I'm trying to haul up a hill!
Conclusion
So what hub is right for you? As we've seen above there are a few different options out there with their own strengths and weaknesses. All of the hubs tested have good reliability with their gear mechanisms and provide smooth shifting. There are differences in visual appeal and braking as well as the shifter mechanisms available to suit your riding needs.With its billet aluminum housing and minimalist indicator chain the Sturmey SRC3 definitely wins in the looks department. Add near-silent operation and you've got an excellent stealthy 3-speed provided you keep your stopping limitations in mind. If you want old-school looks there are quite a few shifter options available for the Sturmey hubs that won't work on the Shimano versions making the Sturmey hubs the best choice for people who are primarily concerned about how their setup will look and are willing to keep the design's limitations in mind.
If the visual aspect of your hub isn't such a concern and you're a bit harder on your bike then you can't beat the Shimano Nexus Inter-3. Great reliability, very good braking performance and its overall popularity on stock bikes make this hub a safe choice. There are fewer shifter options available but if you're happy with grip-shift then this won't be a problem for you.
Whichever hub you choose, be aware that any 3-speed hub won't be able to take as much abuse as a single-speed coaster. There is a LOT more stuffed in to a tiny space with a 3-speed - brakes work better the larger they are so there is some tradeoff in braking ability when moving to a 3-speed. That said hub manufacturers have done a lot of work to try and deal with these issues. As long as you are aware of the limits of your setup be it single speed, 3 speed or otherwise you can make anything work so get out there and ride!
1. There were a FEW AWC hubs produced in 1988 that are oil-filled instead of greased however I've never actually seen one. 1988 was the first year for the AWC and in 1989 it was converted to a greased hub.
2. After riding more on my SRC3 and doing a few good 'burn in' stops on hills the braking is improved somewhat over its 'out of the box' state but it is still weaker than other hubs I've tried.
S3C Followup Note
The coaster brake band is TINY in these hubs. In specimen I've got here all the 3-speed parts are in great shape (pawls showing very little wear, gears in good shape, drive clutch nice, etc) but the brake band is pretty trashed. After looking around online I HAVE found replacement brake bands but nowhere in North America as of yet.
On the brake band - the pre-1991 AWC shares its brake design with the S3C except the band for the AWC is brass instead of steel. 1992 and later AWC hubs changed brake design entirely with 3 separate brake shoes instead of a brake band. This resulted in a considerably more powerful brake, so much so that it's stronger than the hub shell itself!
The overall construction of the S3C is quite well done with the exception of the brake. It should take the kind of abuse you would throw at an AW without much of an issue - all the drive side parts of the hub are nicely machined and obviously well thought out. Most common drive-related problems will probably be broken pawl springs or a worn clutch cross or planet pins. Good news is all those parts are readily available and dirt cheap!